On January 16, 2025, the WTT regular table tennis tournament in Muscat continued. Following the women's doubles, the men's doubles of the national table tennis team also suffered a complete defeat, with Huang Youzheng and Chen Yuanyu losing 1-3 to Zhang Youan and Hong Jingkai. In the previous station, Xiang Peng and Xu Yingbin won the men's doubles championship, but now the national table tennis team has missed the opportunity to win again. In the men's doubles semi-finals, the national table tennis team's combination of Huang Youzheng and Chen Yuanyu faced off against the Chinese Taipei pair of Zhang Youan and Hong Jingkai. In the previous station, Huang Youzheng performed well in the mixed doubles, partnering with Shi Xunyao to win the runner-up. Now, they have entered the final again, facing off against the Spanish pair of Robles and Xiao Yaoqi for the championship. As for the singles, Chen Yuanyu has advanced to the semifinals, while Huang Youzheng lost to Tomokazu Harimoto, leaving him unable to proceed further. The young pair of Zhang Youan and Hong Jingkai may seem unfamiliar because they have only recently started participating in adult competitions, having previously been active in junior events, much like Guo Guanhong who defeated Xiang Peng. The fact that Zhang Youan and Hong Jingkai reached the semifinals indicates that their competitive level is not too poor. Moreover, doubles matches inherently have a certain degree of randomness, requiring extremely high levels of on-site performance from the players. The national table tennis team needs to avoid underestimating their opponents. It is worth noting…

The 4th day of the main event at the 2025 WTT Star Challenge Doha Station is about to begin. Looking back at the third match day, two champions have already been decided. Daikiya Oba and Saki Nagasaki defeated He Zhuojia and Zong Ge Man with a score of 3-0, winning the women's doubles title; Xu Yingbin and Xiang Peng narrowly won Zhang Ben Zhizhi and Matsuhashi Kikuo with a score of 3-2, capturing the men's doubles championship. In these two finals between China and Japan, both the Chinese and Japanese teams each won one championship, sharing the honors equally. In the women's doubles final, the partnership of Daikiya Oba and Saki Nagasaki faced off against He Zhuojia and Zong Ge Man. Both sides will engage in fierce competition in this final, and it remains to be seen which side will emerge as the ultimate winner in this women's doubles final, drawing much attention. In the first game, Daikiya Oba and Saki Nagasaki quickly entered the state, relying on their默契配合 and rapid offense to quickly take a 10-1 lead over He Zhuojia and Zong Ge Man. He Zhuojia/Zong Ge Man made many mistakes and lost points quickly, allowing the Japanese pair to easily win the first set 11-2. In the second set, after adjusting their state and controlling their mistakes, He Zhuojia/Zong Ge Man were able to engage in rallies with their opponents and even took a significant 7-2 lead. However, Daikiya Oba/Saki Nagasaki fought back, narrowing the lead and saving three match points while scoring five consecutive points to win…

In an order from the General Administration of Sport, we learned of a remarkable piece of news: the former director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center, Yang Xinli, has been reassigned to the position of Director of the General Administration's Training Bureau, leaving a vacancy for the new head of the center. This change has not only attracted widespread attention within and outside the table tennis world but also filled people with anticipation and speculation about the future of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center. A month has passed in the blink of an eye, and although various versions of the new head's identity have circulated among the public, it remains a mystery. However, recent reports suggest that Wang Tao, the deputy director of the National Small Ball Center and a legendary figure in the national table tennis team, may become the new head of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center. This news will undoubtedly cause a sensation in the table tennis world. Looking back, Liu Guoliang, as a legendary figure in the table tennis world, has always been considered a strong candidate for the directorship of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center. Not only is he the chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, but he is also a symbol of the national team, earning widespread acclaim and respect for his outstanding leadership skills and work achievements. However, after Yang Xinli took over as the director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center, Liu Guoliang's path to promotion seemed to be temporarily put on hold. Despite this, he…

On the afternoon of January 16th, Beijing time, the 2025 WTT regular challenge match in Masqat continued. The focus of this period was undoubtedly the Sino-Japanese confrontation between Huang Youzheng and Zhang Ben Zhihe. In the first three rounds, Huang Youzheng was behind 1-2. With no way out in the fourth round, Huang Youzheng took the lead with a score of 10-7, but then the new star of the national table tennis team lost key points and was eliminated with a total score of 1-3! In the previous star challenge match in Doha, Zhang Ben Zhihe swept Danish dark horse Groth 4-0 in the men's singles final to win the first championship of 2025, while the national table tennis players performed poorly and were completely wiped out as early as the 1/8 finals. This week's regular challenge match in Masqat, the national table tennis team still participated with a second-line lineup. Huang Youzheng and Chen Yuanyu entered the men's singles quarter-finals, which was an improvement compared to the previous one. In the quarter-finals, Chen Yuanyu took the lead, winning three straight games with scores of 11-5, 11-8, and 11-8, and advancing with a total score of 3-0. The national table tennis team at least guaranteed that there would be one person entering the men's singles semi-finals. Another male singles player from the national table tennis team who entered the quarter-finals was the 20-year-old rising star Huang Youzheng. In the 8-to-4 game of this round, the national table tennis rising star challenged the top seed Zhang Ben Zhihe! At the beginning…

Translation of the article content into English: Beijing, January 16th - Today's matches will be the semi-finals for all events. The main players of the national table tennis team are still not participating in this competition, and there have been some changes in personnel compared to last week. This time, He Zhuojia and Qian Tianyi from the national team did not participate. It's really all young players this time. Let's first look at the national team players who have advanced to the women's singles quarter-finals: Kuai Man, Shi Xunyao, Tan Yuxuan, and Chen Yi. In men's singles, the national team has: Chen Yuanyu and Huang Youzheng. Huang Youzheng won a hard-fought victory with a score of 3-2, narrowly defeating his opponent. In the first game, Huang Youzheng lost the opening set 8-11. In the second game, he took the lead with an 11-8 victory. In this game, Huang Youzheng played very proactively. Although some points were fiercely contested, the 19-year-old Huang Youzheng overcame them one by one, patiently playing each ball. In the third game, he lost 5-11 to his opponent. This game was indeed quite torturous for Huang Youzheng, as he couldn't score no matter how he played. However, Huang Youzheng did not lose his composure; instead, he became even more calm. It wasn't until the fourth and fifth games that Huang Youzheng gradually regained his rhythm, winning two consecutive games to secure the match and advance to the quarter-finals. This is an improvement from the Doha Challenge, where Huang Youzheng stopped at the round of 16 last time.…

As a seasoned commentator who has been following the sports circle for many years, I must say that the rumors I've seen in the past two days are both amusing and perplexing. This all started with He Xiaolong's Weibo post saying, "I think he has already been fired." As an old friend of the sports circle, I know that He Xiaolong always speaks passionately. However, this time he targeted Liu Guoliang, which really stunned everyone. But CCTV Sports Channel quickly responded with action - not only was Liu Guoliang not fired, but he also detailed the blueprint for the national table tennis team's next four years on the program. This dispelled those rumors. Honestly, after seeing Liu Guoliang's plan, I'm quite excited. Starting from the new cycle in 2025, the national table tennis team will vigorously cultivate newcomers! That's a great move. Just look at our national table tennis lineup to understand how wise this decision is. Ma Long is talking about retiring, Fan Zhendong is still undecided about playing until the Paris Olympics. On the women's side, Chen Meng is also nearing the age to consider retirement. In my opinion, Liu Guoliang is preparing for the future. Looking at the world table tennis scene, how young is Japan's Matsushima Koki? Isn't Tomokazu Ishihara also a young player? If we want our national table tennis team to continue to dominate, we have to take the step of cultivating new players. You may not know, but I just chatted with some industry friends the other day. They all say that the…

In the world of table tennis today, Zhang Benmei is undoubtedly one of the most promising new stars. At just 16 years old, she has already made a name for herself on the international stage, with her outstanding skills and remarkable mental fortitude earning her recognition as one of the strongest opponents to the national table tennis team in the next decade. Recently, news emerged that surprised many - her father, Zhang Benyu, turned down an invitation from the Japanese national table tennis team. What considerations lie behind this decision? Let's analyze it from the perspective of the father, the athlete's growth path, and the harsh realities of competitive sports. Abandoning Mixed Doubles in Favor of Focusing on Singles: A Wise Move The Japanese national table tennis team hoped that Zhang Benmei would take on the mixed doubles task during the upcoming Los Angeles Olympic cycle, aiming to replicate the achievements of Tokyo Olympics mixed doubles champion Ito Mima. In theory, mixed doubles is a project with relatively less competitive pressure at the Olympics, offering a higher chance of winning a championship than singles. However, Zhang Benyu resolutely rejected this proposal. This choice may seem risky, but upon closer analysis, it is actually paving the way for his daughter's future development. Zhang Benyu's reasoning is very clear: The mixed doubles task would divert Zhang Benmei's energy, and at only 16 years old, she is at a critical stage where her technical style and psychological quality are improving comprehensively. If she were to hastily take on three events, needing to balance…

On January 15, 2025, according to Beijing time, the first day of the WTT regular challenge match in Masqat has come to an end. In this event, two players from the national table tennis team were unfortunately eliminated in the first round of singles. Among them, Xu Yingbin lost 0-3 to the powerful Ochaglov on the court; while Wang Xiaotong also lost 1-3 to Tan Yuxuan in that derby battle. In addition, there is a surprising situation. The world champion from Japan, Yoshimura Makihara, actually encountered the embarrassing situation of being eliminated in the first round in this competition. Moreover, Miharu Kihara, who won the women's singles runner-up at the Doha station before, was also unable to go further on the court and was successfully eliminated by the national table tennis player. In the first round of the men's singles main event, Xu Yingbin's performance was really a pity. During the game, he once took the lead with a score of 8-5 in the second set, but the situation turned sharply, and he was successfully reversed by his opponent. Not only that, when he took the lead again with a score of 8-4 in the third set, he still failed to maintain the advantage and was overturned by the opponent again. Finally, Xu Yingbin lost 0-3 to Ochaglov and missed the men's singles top 16. It must be said that compared with those top players in the world, Xu Yingbin does have deficiencies in terms of game experience, and his performance on the court lacks sufficient stability. However, other national…

On January 15, 2025, a major upset occurred at the WTT Muscat station in table tennis. A renowned Chinese men's singles player lost 1-3 to a 16-year-old newcomer, and Chinese Taipei's rising star Guo Guanhong eliminated two-time World Youth Championship men's singles champion Xiang Peng, who was seeded fourth but stopped in the round of 16. No one expected him to fall at this stage. Xiang Peng is 20 years old and ranked 22nd in the world. As a young player focused on by the national table tennis coaching staff, he has been considered outstanding among his peers, with generally satisfactory results. However, his progress has been slow, and he has not been able to reach higher stages. At the previous WTT Star Tournament in Doha, Xiang Peng partnered with Xu Yingbin to win the men's doubles championship in the final against Tomokazu Ishihara/Koki Niwa. However, he was eliminated in the men's singles by Koki Niwa. This time, Xiang Peng had good luck in the draw, facing Guo Guanhong, a 16-year-old newcomer from Chinese Taipei, who has not participated in adult group events for long and is only ranked 216th in the world. Originally, fans of the national table tennis team thought there would be no problem, but an issue arose, making him the second top-four seed to exit after Aruna. After the start of the match, in the first game, Xiang Peng initially played well, fully utilizing his advantage in forehand and slightly dominating during the rallies. Guo Guanhong is only 16 years old, and the quality of his…

As the first rays of morning light gently awaken the skies over Beijing on January 15th, the first round of the men's singles competition at the 2025 WTT Regular Challenge Muscat Station has quietly come to an end. This time, the national table tennis team sent out 4 players, with 3 successfully advancing and 1 unfortunately eliminated, overall showing a commendable performance. Xu Yingbin failed to continue his good form, losing 0-3 to German veteran Ochamov, with scores of 6-11, 11-13, and 9-11 in the three sets. The last two sets were lost on crucial points, with very close scores, which can be described as a narrow defeat. In the past two stations, Xu Yingbin's performance in the men's singles event was not satisfactory, and he was eliminated early, indicating that his singles state does indeed need improvement and requires proper adjustment in subsequent training and competitions. Huang Youzheng brought a thrilling comeback victory for the national table tennis team. After losing the first set 8-11, he won three consecutive sets with scores of 11-3, 11-6, and 11-9, successfully defeating Manav Vikash Thakkar. Judging from the overall strength, Huang Youzheng is above his opponent, but this victory was not easy. He frankly admitted that he actually hadn't played at his best, and the rhythm of the game wasn't completely under his control. Ultimately, he was able to win mainly due to his hard power, taking advantage in the stand-off confrontation. Chen Yuanyu also performed steadily, defeating Apolonia 3-1, with four-set scores of 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, and 11-6. Throughout the match,…